Newspaper vending machines have been known for many years, and come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. However, there are few, if any, known single-vend type dispensers which are used on the market today. This is not because single-vend newspaper dispensers are unknown, but rather, because the known dispensers simply do not work to the degree necessary to make them economically viable in the marketplace.
The single-vend newspaper dispenser was originally designed to make available only a single copy of a newspaper upon the insertion of the proper currency. However, the main problem with prior art single-vend dispensers was their unreliability.
One of the main reasons prior art devices were unreliable is in the fact that newspapers are not all of the same thickness. Thus, a machine capable of dispensing a typical weekday paper would require adjustment to properly vend a weekend or special issue.
Another problem with prior art single-vend dispensers was in their high potential for ripping or otherwise damaging the paper during the dispensing operation. The customer that receives a damaged paper would not likely return to use such a dispenser again.
Another problem in the prior art was in the small number of papers the machine was capable of holding. Those machines that require bulky and complicated machinery to dispense the paper could hold only a few papers. The higher cost of such machines would pay for themselves in a longer amount of time, thereby reducing the economic viability of the devices.
It was also a problem to observe whether the machine was empty or what edition of the paper was to be found inside.
Another problem with prior art machines was in the storage of coins in the machine, and the method for removing them. It was typically necessary for the person removing the coins to open the machine so as to gain access to the storage box. Such a requirement is not only time consuming, but can affect the adjustment of the dispensing mechanism.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved newspaper dispenser which will vend a single paper at a time.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a single-vend paper dispenser which will reliably dispense a variety of thicknesses of papers without adjustment.
A further object is to provide a single-vend dispenser which will not damage the paper during the dispensing operation.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a single-vend newspaper dispenser which will hold a large amount of papers so as to be competitive with non-single-vend machines.
Still a further object is to provide a newspaper dispenser which clearly indicates what paper is in the machine and when the machine is empty.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a single-vend newspaper dispenser with a coin storage unit that may be accessed without opening the machine.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.